Latest content added for UNT Digital Library Partner: UNT Presshttp://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTP/browse/?sort=title&start=202014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00UNT LibrariesThis is a custom feed for browsing UNT Digital Library Partner: UNT PressBetween the Cracks of History: Essays on Teaching and Illustrating Folklore2011-07-06T09:55:06-05:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38308/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38308/"><img alt="Between the Cracks of History: Essays on Teaching and Illustrating Folklore" title="Between the Cracks of History: Essays on Teaching and Illustrating Folklore" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38308/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>This volume of the Publications of the Texas Folklore Society contains twenty-one essays about folklore in Texas, including essays about police burials, railroads, graffiti, folk music, dance halls, and other folklore. The index begins on page 279.</p>The Big Thicket Guidebook: Exploring the Backroads and History of Southeast Texas2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271390/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271390/"><img alt="The Big Thicket Guidebook: Exploring the Backroads and History of Southeast Texas" title="The Big Thicket Guidebook: Exploring the Backroads and History of Southeast Texas" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271390/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>Start your engines and follow the backroads, the historical paths, and the scenic landscape that were fashioned by geologic Ice Ages and traveled by Big Thicket explorers as well as contemporary park advocates—all as diverse as the Big Thicket itself. From Spanish missionaries to Jayhawkers, and from timber barons to public officials, you will meet some unusual characters who inhabited an exceptional region. The Big Thicket and its National Preserve contain plants and animals from deserts and swamps and ecosystems in between, all together in one amazing Biological Crossroad. The fifteen tours included with maps will take you through them all. Visitors curious about a legendary area will find this book an essential companion in their cars. Libraries will use the book as a reference to locate information on ghost towns, historic events, and National Preserve features. “A result of a prodigious amount of local research as well as a great deal of driving and tramping around, this book might end up as a classic.”—Thad Sitton, author of Backwoodsmen: Stockmen and Hunters along a Big Thicket River Valley</p>Big Thicket Legacy2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271441/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271441/"><img alt="Big Thicket Legacy" title="Big Thicket Legacy" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271441/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>In Big Thicket Legacy, Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller present the stories of people living in the Big Thicket of southeast Texas. Many of the storytellers were close to one hundred years old when interviewed, with some being the great-grandchildren of the first settlers. Here are tales about robbing a bee tree, hunting wild boar, plowing all day and dancing all night, wading five miles to church through a cypress brake, and making soap using hickory ashes. "The book is a storehouse of history, down-to-earth information, good humor, leg-pulling spoofs, tall tales and all kinds of serendipitous gems . . . Readers inclined to fantasy might like to think of two giant Texas folklorists of the past, J. Frank Dobie and Mody Boatright, nodding and winking their approval of Big Thicket Legacy."—Smithsonian</p>Big Thicket Plant Ecology: an Introduction2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271428/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271428/"><img alt="Big Thicket Plant Ecology: an Introduction" title="Big Thicket Plant Ecology: an Introduction" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271428/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>Originally published in 1979, Geraldine Ellis Watson’s Big Thicket Plant Ecology is now back in print. This updated edition explores the plant biology, ecology, geology, and environmental regions of the Big Thicket National Preserve. After decades of research on the Big Thicket, Watson concluded that the Big Thicket was unique for its biological diversity, due mainly to interactions of geology and climate. A visitor in the Big Thicket could look in four different directions from one spot and view scenes typical of the Appalachians, the Florida Everglades, a southwestern desert, or the pine barrens of the Carolinas. Watson covers the ecological and geological history of the Big Thicket and introduces its plant life, from longleaf pines and tupelo swamps to savannah wetlands and hardwood flats. “This is the work on the plant biology of the Big Thicket.”—Pete A.Y. Gunter, author of The Big Thicket</p>Bill Jason Priest, Community College Pioneer2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271321/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271321/"><img alt="Bill Jason Priest, Community College Pioneer" title="Bill Jason Priest, Community College Pioneer" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271321/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>There are few things that are purely American. On that short list are baseball and the two-year community college. Bill Jason Priest possessed skill and acumen for both. The better part of his life was spent developing and defining the junior college into the comprehensive community college. His contributions earned him a prestigious place in the annals of higher education, but his personality was not one of a stereotypical stodgy educator, nor is the story of his life a dry read. After working his way through college, Priest played professional baseball before serving in Naval Intelligence during World War II. His varied experiences helped shape his leadership style, often labeled as autocratic and sometimes truculent in conservative convictions. The same relentless drive that brought him criticism also brought him success and praise. Forthright honesty and risk-taking determination combined with vision brought about many positive results. Priest’s career in higher education began with the two-year college system in California before he was lured to Texas in 1965 to head the Dallas County Junior College District. Over the next fifteen years Priest transformed the junior college program into the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) and built it up to seven colleges. He performed major roles in the evolution of nursing education, the founding of a telecommunications center for the production of televised courses, the delivery and acceptance of vocational education, and in greater breadth in noncredit courses. After his retirement in 1981, he continued to serve as Chancellor Emeritus until 2003. Drawing from archives as well as from numerous interviews with Priest and his personal and professional associates, Kathleen Krebbs Whitson presents the life of a giant in Texas education and reveals his lasting influence upon the community college movement.</p>Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271466/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271466/"><img alt="Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth" title="Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271466/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth presents a fresh, proactive, and positive approach to why you may want to consider the safest and most satisfying kind of birth—natural childbirth—especially in these times of overused medical interventions. Kalena Cook, a mother who experienced natural childbirth, and Margaret Christensen, M.D., a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist, have written this much-needed book for expectant mothers and their caregivers, imparting proven safe or “evidence-based” information with compelling narratives. Think of What to Expect in Natural Childbirth meets Chicken Soup for the Natural Birthing Soul! Unlike other books that overwhelm with data, Birthing a Better Way simplifies the best key points. Going beyond actual birth accounts, the authors reveal 12 Secrets which bring confidence in the normal process of birth and inspire you to believe in what your body is beautifully designed to do—a far cry from what is portrayed in the media or from some fear-based conventional medical practices. More than fifty powerful testimonials include healthy mainstream women who answer why they chose natural birth (instead of Pitocin, inductions, epidurals and C-sections), what it was like, and even how it compared to a medicated birth. Six physicians share why they birthed their own children naturally, and not in the hospital. Through Birthing a Better Way, choose whether you want a doctor or a midwife and decide where to birth: in a hospital, birth center, or at home. Get informed about the variety of births such as waterbirths, breech birth, twins, VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean), and using hypnosis. Find out about ways to avoid Pitocin, an induction, or an unnecessary C-section. Discover what is in an epidural and its effects. Know what safe comfort measures truly work and how to overcome fear. Learn what you need to know about ultrasound and nutrition. Approach natural childbirth with a mind-body-spirit stance to strengthen your commitment.</p>Bloody Bill Longley: the Mythology of a Gunfighter2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271324/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271324/"><img alt="Bloody Bill Longley: the Mythology of a Gunfighter" title="Bloody Bill Longley: the Mythology of a Gunfighter" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271324/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>William Preston “Bill” Longley (1851-1878), though born into a strong Christian family, turned bad during Reconstruction in Texas, much like other young boys of that time, including the deadly John Wesley Hardin. He went on a murderous rampage over the last few years of his life, shotgunning Wilson Anderson in retribution for Anderson’s killing of a relative; killing George Thomas in McLennan County; and shooting William “Lou” Shroyer in a running gunfight. Longley even killed the Reverend William R. Lay while Lay was milking a cow. Once he was arrested in 1877, and subsequently sentenced to hang, his name became known statewide as an outlaw and a murderer. Through a series of “autobiographical” letters written from jail while awaiting the hangman, Longley created and reveled in his self-centered image as a fearsome, deadly gunfighter—the equal, if not the superior, of the vaunted Hardin. Declaring himself the “worst outlaw” in Texas, the story that he created became the basis for his historical legacy, unfortunately relied on and repeated over and over by previous biographers, but all wrong. In truth, Bill Longley was not the daring figure that he attempted to paint. Rick Miller’s thorough research shows that he was, instead, a braggart who exaggerated greatly his feats as a gunman. The murders that could be credited to him were generally nothing more than cowardly assassinations. Bloody Bill Longley was first published in a limited edition in 1996. Miller separates fact from fancy, attempting to prove or disprove Longley’s many claims of bloodshed. Since the time of the first edition, diligent research has located and identified the outlaw’s body, the absence of which was a longstanding myth in itself. This revised edition includes that part of the Longley story, as well as several new items of information that have since come to light.</p>A Book Lover in Texas2010-08-31T22:25:24-05:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28327/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28327/"><img alt="A Book Lover in Texas" title="A Book Lover in Texas" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28327/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>This autobiographical text discusses Evelyn Oppenheimer's role as a reader and book reviewer in Texas. The book discusses both her life and opinions regarding books and various topics. A selection of her poetry and one of her short stories ("The Green Conscience") are also included. Index starts on page 153.</p>Both Sides of the Border: a Scattering of Texas Folklore2014-01-23T13:09:13-06:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271438/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271438/"><img alt="Both Sides of the Border: a Scattering of Texas Folklore" title="Both Sides of the Border: a Scattering of Texas Folklore" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271438/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>Texas has a large population who has lived on both sides of the border and created a folkloric mix that makes Texas unique. Both Sides of the Border gets its name from its emphasis on recently researched Tex-Mex folklore. But we recognize that Texas has other borders besides the Rio Grande. We use that title with the folklorist’s knowledge that all of this state’s songs, tales, and traditions have lived and prospered on the other sides of Texas borders at one time or another before they crossed the rivers and became “ours.” Chapters are organized thematically, and include favorite storytellers like James Ward Lee, Thad Sitton, and Jerry Lincecum. Lee’s beloved “Hell is for He-Men” appears here, along with Sitton’s informative essay on Texas freedman’s settlements. Both Sides of the Border contains something to delight everyone interested in Texas folklore.</p>The Bounty of Texas2011-07-13T09:16:58-05:00http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38873/<p><a href="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38873/"><img alt="The Bounty of Texas" title="The Bounty of Texas" src="http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38873/thumbnail/"/></a></p><p>This volume of the Publications of the Texas Folklore Society contains a miscellany of Texas, Mexican and Spanish folklore, including information about hunting, canning, cooking, and other folklore. The index begins on page 225.</p>